T or F: 2 f/t incomes frum USA, no one is starving for food

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True or False: In 2 full time income families (no kollel)(food stamps and food packs count as "income" for this post), no one is starving for food. (not referring to having enough money for other expenses, only food.)

True

76%

[ 110 ]

False

23%

[ 34 ]

Total Votes : 144

amother

Brown

Sun, Oct 28 2018, 4:02 pm

Interesting question. I wonder why u ask this. I think its possible bec both jobs may be low paying. But at the same time, unhealthy food like pasta u can buy for 1 dollar at dollar tree. And rice is unhealthy but cheap.

But at the same time, kosher food is very expensive and cholov yisroel more expensive.

I know the amount of $ to get food stamps is very low. I dont understand how one can pay other expenses with such low income for 2 ppl. Meanwhile, bec one can buy rice for so cheap then I cant imagine ppl starving. But there are a lot of factors and I always see everyone buying tons and tons of food in the jewish store wether erev yomtov/shabbos or a regular weekday. I eat simply and save a lot on food but its hard eating healthy on a budget even just buying lentils and beans which I got ideas here for. There are places that give food for free for families but they are mostly expired or things that are not enough for a family for a week. And, there is masbia a free "restaurant" for the poor to get meals which is embarressing just like going to get free food.

I wonder what restaurants/pizza stores/ bakeries do with all their old"" food. I do know someone who collects from one stores leftovers for tomchei shabbos but even tomchei shabbos is not enough for a large family. There are ppl who have connections who get "" leftovers from stores but stores throw out a lot at night/before shabbos so too after weddings or events. I remember one sponsored event I wanted to take leftovers but the rich lady (who cant understand ppl who dont have) embarressed those taking and yelled. And, the rich lady let them throw all the healthy food in the garbage instead of letting ppl take home leftovers that we and others all paid for with tzedaka money!!

There are some organizations who say that families are starving. Well, maybe those ppl will refuse to eat rice or pasta and want only certain foods to be given to them. Yes, everyone gets to eat properly but if u are really starving, buy a big bag of rice....

amother

Slategray

Sun, Oct 28 2018, 4:03 pm

How many people can't work for various reasons? How many people are putting their groceries on account & can't pay it?

Mommyg8

Sun, Oct 28 2018, 4:08 pm

If you want to do this mathematically - you can feed a family of six very nicely on $1200 a month (probably much less if you know how to shop for bargains and eat frugally). If you make fifteen dollars an hour and work twenty hours a week, there's your food money right there. So it's really not that hard to make enough money for food. Tuition, rent and clothing.... That's another story....

Aylat

Sun, Oct 28 2018, 4:26 pm

amother wrote:

In which fad diet are rice and pasta unhealthy supper options?

amother

Powderblue

Sun, Oct 28 2018, 4:35 pm

I know a family- personally. Both parents work full time. (Father is in chinuch. And does side jobs before and after that) their income is officially middle class so they qualify for almost no govt. services. No foodstamps.wic.or insurance.

Tuition is mighty expensive. And rent. Bills. I don't know exactly how they spend their $$ but I do know for certain that the kids sometimes go to sleep hungry Sad

Definitely $ mismanaged. But the girls were almost out've school at one point because they couldn't pay tuition.
It's complicated.

Mommyg8

Sun, Oct 28 2018, 4:38 pm

Aylat wrote:

In which fad diet are rice and pasta unhealthy supper options?

It's VERY unhealthy.

amother

Oak

Sun, Oct 28 2018, 4:41 pm

I think these days people can obtain food for very little. It might not be the food you want to eat but it will still satisfy you and hold you back from starvation.
Examples are pasta, potatoes, eggs to name a few...

ra_mom

Sun, Oct 28 2018, 4:54 pm

Aylat wrote:

In which fad diet are rice and pasta unhealthy supper options?

They are healthy as 1/4 of the supper plate.
But if rice or pasta is all that's being served for supper, then the children are not getting enough nutrients.

amother

Mistyrose

Sun, Oct 28 2018, 4:57 pm

Bh im no longer in that position.
At that time mt husband worked full time and I worked 23 hours a week while the children were in school. We had about $ 40 to $60 a week for food a family of five.
I was extremely frugal, took food from a food gemach that picked up leftovers and my sister sent me a box of staples every few weeks.
I remember going to register my 4 year old for bais yaakov and the administrator wanted to know how much I can afford. I told him I have$40 dollars a week for food if you want you can have. He took me faughter and did not increase my tuition.
The sad part was my husband had a dgree and worked for very wealthy well known baal tzedaka, when my husband asked for a raise he raised him a small amount which ended up being about $20 a week after taxes. A year later he switched jobs and bh made more

33055

Sun, Oct 28 2018, 4:59 pm

amother wrote:

Many stores will give away their unsold food eruv shabbos. They give it to shuls and poor people.

I know a family that gets unsold pizza motzi shabbos every single week.

Chicken from Kapparos is given to the poor.

Tomche Shabbos seems to provide enough to get through Shabbos and yom tovim. It is problematic if you prefer schnitzel and are given chicken bottoms, but you won't starve.

I know one family that is too embarrassed to go on Tomche Shabbos, and the Rabbi sends them cases of chicken, frozen salmon, gifeltte fish, meat, eggs, and produce. It is an abundance of those items.

Amarante

Sun, Oct 28 2018, 5:14 pm

Difficult question to answer because it is possible to have enough nutritious inexpensive food so that no one is hungry or is malnourished.

However you have to be willing to take the time and make the effort to cook from scratch; buy food in bulk and forego any kinds of treats unless you make homemade and of The inexpensive kind.

Whole grains are healthy if you know how to combine to maximize nutritional value and can be quite delicious if you make an effort to find good recipes. Frozen and canned veggies are just as nutritious as fresh and far cheaper and there are certain things like apples which are relatively inexpensive even if fresh. If you pop your own bulk popcorn it’s a cheap snack and dried milk is inexpensive compared to fresh.

It can be done but many people would not be happy but there is a difference between going hungry and being malnourished versus not being able to afford fancier food

Last edited by Amarante on Sun, Oct 28 2018, 6:47 pm; edited 1 time in total

amother

Seashell

Sun, Oct 28 2018, 6:37 pm

amother wrote:

Definitely $ mismanaged. But the girls were almost out've school at one point because they couldn't pay tuition.
It's complicated.

This is so sad to hear. They don't even have bread or potatoes to give their children? Tuition should be paid after their kids have food to eat.

amother

Lavender

Sun, Oct 28 2018, 6:45 pm

Wouldn’t it be normal for hungry children to resent deprivation caused because of tuition and be more likely to go OTD. I realize sacrifices are necessary for a high priority such as tuition, but adequate food and a sense of security that one’s most basic needs are met would be necessary for a child to grow up with a healthy sense of security and that religion didn’t mean abnormal deprivation.

Isn't this not seeing the forest for the trees - focusing on only one aspect of a child's development (intellectual; emotional; moral) and losing sight of other aspects that are more basic - at least IMHO.

keym

Sun, Oct 28 2018, 6:47 pm

amother wrote:

This is so sad to hear. They don't even have bread or potatoes to give their children? Tuition should be paid after their kids have food to eat.

And yet have you met some school's administrators? Literally don't care. And will have no problem humiliating the children.

flowerpower

Sun, Oct 28 2018, 6:56 pm

amother wrote:

OP, what are you getting at? I'm with the others here and have never seen in the U.S. a frum family, rich or poor that didn't have access to enough food.
Have you?

How would you know? They would never announce it. Just ask a grocer or a teacher( where the kid comes famished and hoards all the food) if it’s true or not. Sadly... they are many families that can’t afford too much food.

thunderstorm

Sun, Oct 28 2018, 7:17 pm

The OP specified a two parent home where both parents work full time.
But I do want to mentions that
I do know quite a few single parent homes where children do go to sleep hungry sometimes and there is no food in their house. So those kids probably come to school very hungry.

amother

Firebrick

Sun, Oct 28 2018, 7:27 pm

I think in that situation there has to be some dysfunction or lack of knowledge if kids are going hungry. It may not be exciting food but beans and rice and cheap fruit and veggies shouldn't cost a lot.

We have a lot of cc debt due to tuition and expenses but we do spend money we don't have on food.

amother

Violet

Sun, Oct 28 2018, 7:34 pm

thunderstorm wrote:

If there is any income at all why would children go hungry? There's so much really cheap food like bread, potatoes, rice, and pasta that it doesn't make sense that children don't have food. A family can be fed for less than $5 a day. What's more is that if a family has any relatives or any affiliation with a rav, they could certainly get a sponsor for cheap food for a few weeks. The point is that in a rare case where children are hungry it's likely because parents don't want to ask for help that would really be accessible to them.

This is not Africa.

ectomorph

Sun, Oct 28 2018, 7:37 pm

No tuition board expects your familyto go hungry.

I believe it exists but among people not willing to ask for help. Not because they can't get food. Tomchei shabbos exists for a reason

amother

Navy

Sun, Oct 28 2018, 7:45 pm

ectomorph wrote:

No tuition board expects your familyto go hungry.

I believe it exists but among people not willing to ask for help. Not because they can't get food. Tomchei shabbos exists for a reason

Yes the tuition board doesn't care if u go hungry.. I'm not sure how involved you are in these situations but I am involved, they do not care at all unfortunately

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